International rugby union referee Clive Norling was the most famous official of his generation after taking charge of more than 1,000 matches between 1968 and 1992.

But a severe period of depression , which lasted seven years, left him unable to leave his home and on the verge of suicide.

Now, after overcoming his demons thanks in part to his devoted wife Mair, the Swansea man has opened up about his mental health battle in a captivating new film.

'Very dark tunnel'

Describing how he felt when entering depression, Clive said: “It was like moving from bright daylight, which was my normal life, and then moving down a very, very dark tunnel which was getting blacker each step I took.

“I found myself falling into a rather large black hole. I just wanted to say goodnight to the world, basically.

“I lost all enjoyment. My biggest concern was that I was unable to make decisions which was quite frightening.

PICTURE SHOWS: Clive Norling, former rugby referee.

“Have you ever heard of a referee who’s not able to make decisions?”

By 2007, Clive become a virtual recluse in his Swansea home, speaking to nobody except Mair.